


Never Enough

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Happy Ending, Hurt Tony, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, M/M, Poor Peter Parker, Sad with a Happy Ending, Self-Doubt, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:28:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24032041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Peter doesn't think he's good enough for Tony Stark and breaks up with him.
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 12
Kudos: 134





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> whatever this is terrible lets move ON

Peter bit his lip as he watched Tony. The man was talking with a pretty woman with ice for eyes. She was beautiful. Tony was charming, winking and laughing, hand on her side like she meant something to him. Her dress was sharp red and tight-fitting to her form. Her own hand combed through Tony’s dark brown hair. It was  _ domestic _ .

Peter sighed, being worth Tony Stark was an impossible task. He had tried his hand at it countless times, but he always seemed to fall short whenever it came to Tony. Peter stumbled his way through a love confession, then he stumbled his way through a kiss, then sex, and then with everything else. Peter could never get anything right.

Peter glared. Tony seemed to be having such a grand time when Peter was miserable. The man didn’t even notice Peter’s scorn. Like Tony was  _ ignoring _ him. 

That thought sparked contempt in Peter’s heart. His anger was flammable and potent, ready to explode at the slightest touch. Beneath the fury, though, was the dull -  _ familiar _ \- ache of sadness. The sadness felt like a bluer version of the fluttering crush Peter had when he whispered  _ I love you _ to Tony. 

Tony’s skilled hands stayed firmly pressed at the woman’s side, never daring to stray - which Peter figured meant  _ something _ . The man had always been…  _ affectionate  _ to say the least. To him, a hand at the side meant nothing. Those thoughts did little to calm Peter’s nerves.

The woman had a wide smile on her face, her eyes lighting up like fireworks in an empty night sky. It sent Peter’s stomach reeling.

He was sure she was nice, but he didn’t care.

Peter could  _ feel _ his scowl, but he didn’t care. He knew May would chastise him if she were there - say he was acting like a child on the playground. But he didn’t care.

It was irrational to be so angry over such a small gesture, but he was. Peter was irritated that Tony smiled along with the crowd when Peter felt like death. But it wasn’t just that. It was something else, another monster that lurked beneath the still waters of Peter’s heart. Peter tried to source what upset him so, but every answer turned out to be himself. 

It seemed more and more frequent that Peter was the cause of everyone’s problems.

Peter’s own irrationality, his own incapability locked him in a neverending cycle of being useless to those around him who needed him most. He wanted to be the one Tony deserved, but he wasn’t.

There was an insecurity that had been instilled in Peter since he was young. The perpetual feeling of worthlessness. It haunted him. They were the chains he was forced to carry and he was wrapping Tony up in them. Peter swallowed. He was hurting the man he loved the most. 

There was a gray emptiness in Peter’s chest, where his heart was. It felt like nothingness. A darkness that swallowed everything, even the hellish flames of anger. A slow-moving dread that choked Peter. It was threatening in its leisure.

There was always that lurking fear, that looming doubt, that sneaky comment: Peter could never be enough for Tony. Everyone thought about it. Everyone talked about it. Everyone’s eyes tracked Peter with amused sympathy. The ponderings of when he and Tony would crumble.

“ _ I give it three months - tops _ .”

“ _ That’s a bit generous if you ask me _ .”

Peter stared into the dark abyss of his drink. It swirled and swayed with the circular motions he did. His eyes followed the drink swirling. Peter’s mind was filled with white noise, but there was something he could hear crystal clear through the fog:  _ You’ll never be enough for Tony _ .

“How’s my baby doing?” Tony asked.

Peter jumped, nearly spilling his drink.

“Sorry,” Tony said, smile deceiving his apology.

There was a thick moment of silence. Peter failed to find words.

Tony smiled, his fingers twitched, “You look like you’d rather be dead than be here. If that’s the case then welcome to the club, I  _ hate  _ it here. Seriously, though, if you wanna ditch this joint and go get some BK I’d be so down. Like really down. I’ve been craving a Burger King burger for  _ ages _ , but Miss Potts says it’s bad for my blood pressure - which, to be fair, she is right - but I don’t listen to her. So, let’s go get some fast food and have sex in the car.”

Peter sighed through his amused smile. He schooled his face into a serious, neutral expression and said, “We need to talk, Tony.”

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Tony hissed through gritted teeth, “that is literally the last thing I wanted you to say.”

Peter forced a smile, the somberness in his eyes giving him away. He sighed, trying to stop tears from falling. With a quiet, cracked voice Peter said:

“I think we should break up.”


	2. Forever Enough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol think of this as the direct to DVD sequel that no one wanted!! like peter pan 2 or pocahontas 2. hope you enjoy

Tony enters the bedroom to the heart-wrenching sight of Peter packing his clothes.

Peter looks back at him, a guilty glint in his eye.

Tony’s heart shatters like glass. He struggles to get words out of his choked throat.

“Peter,” He manages to say, voice strangled. His heart hopes to stall Peter, make the younger man realize how much he’s needed in Tony’s life.

Peter turns to Tony with a soft look of despair on his face. He’s allowing Tony to continue speaking.

That task seems impossible.

“Why are you…  _ leaving _ ?” Tony asks. 

Peter’s face twitches. His hands are shaking as he stares into his luggage.

“Honey,” Tony says, voice soft, “please, I can make this better. I promise. Please, just tell me what’s wrong.”

Peter falters before sitting on the bed. He covers his face with his hands; he only does that when he doesn’t want Tony to see his tears.

Tony sits next to Peter, placing a comforting hand on the younger man’s back. It’s enough to make Peter break down into sobs as he clings to the older man’s shirt.

“Sh,” Tony coos, “tell me what’s wrong, my love.”

Peter sniffs, “I see you with all those other people and I just think that… I don’t know… it’s like you don’t belong with me. Like, people respected your’s and Pepper’s relationship, but then they see me - some little nobody from Queens - and they  _ laugh _ and I just… I’ll never be enough for you.”

Tony shakes his head, “That isn’t true. You’re the  _ only _ person who’s enough for me.”

“Really?” Peter asks. His face is tear-stained, eyes red, and there’s some snot peeking from his nose, but Tony can’t imagine being anywhere else.

“Of course,” Tony says, “I love you to death. You’ll always be enough.”

“Forever?” Peter asks, voice shaky.

Tony nods, “Forever.”


End file.
